Pinchas

Parshat Pinchas 5783

The Parasha begins by relating the great reward Pinchas earned for his heroic action of zealousy; slaying Zimri for his immodest act. The Gemara writes that he earned the great  merit of becoming a Kohen for himself and all his offspring. In addition, Chazal tell us “Pinchas hu Eliyahu '', his grand reward included becoming Eliyahu Hanavi.
As we know, the Middot of Hakadosh Baruch Hu are “Measure for measure”; any reward or punishment which Hashem grants a person is designed to match the action for which it was granted. Therefore we must try to understand what middah did Pinchas display in his act of slaying Zimri to earn this great merit.
Truly great people have heightened consciousness and sensitivity
Perhaps we can understand by trying to imagine the circumstances at the time of Pinchas’s act. Pinchas was standing before Moshe, the greatest of all men. The venue was the midbar where the entire existence was miraculous and Hashem’s hand was ever-present. The Torah tells us “By the word of Hashem they camped; by the word of Hashem they travelled” every move was expressly dictated by Hashem through Moshe. Moshe was at the helm, teaching Bnei Yisrael the pathways to Heaven, the wondrous ways of the Torah. 

In such an atmosphere a person could surely become complacent, surely he is not personally responsible for his individual growth, he can rely on the “coattails” of Moshe. He can allow himself to be led blindly, accept whatever he is told and no more. However, the chosen few have a heightened consciousness and sensitivity to their spiritual growth. These people never become complacent; they are constantly seeking opportunities for growth. They therefore don’t take anything for granted, they examine each situation and opportunity on their own.
Pinchas merited his great reward due to his consciousness and his aspirations
If we allow ourselves to relate to the great generation of the Midbar in our own terms, we could describe the scene facing Pinchas as follows. Surely he could have said to himself “I see Klal Yisrael succumbing to depravity, even our master Moshe seems powerless to stem the decline. Surely I cannot succeed where Moshe has not”. But on the contrary, he perused the scene and was reminded of the Halachah; Habah al aramit kanaim pogim bo. In this immoral situation the Torah sanctions action by the zealots. Pinchas displayed alert consciousness. His consciousness was a result of his burning aspirations for growth. He was not content with being led; he was alert for opportunities to advance on his own to higher summits in the trek leading Heavenward. He was constantly seeking the truth! When he remembered the Halacha he did not hesitate. He immediately ran to Moshe who told him that since you are the one who took note, you must be the one to take action. You are the true zealot and only the true zealot can carry out this act to perfection.
This trait was also the source of the actions of the daughters of Tzlofchad. Chazal are effusive in their praise of the intelligence and erudition of the Bnot Tzlofchad. Chazal deduced this from the fact that although they were presenting their case to Moshe and Aharon, they still used their own faculties to investigate the matter, and they offered their own understanding. This showed that they too were being alert and aware, which came from their aspirations. They therefore merited that an entire inyan in the Torah, the laws of inheritance, should be revealed in their merit. 

Shalom- Shleimut

The Torah tells us that Hashem gave Pinchas "brit shalom" a covenant of shalom. The word shalom is related to the word shleimut-completeness. Flawless and perfect. This is the source for what Chazal tell us that Talmidei Chachamim increase shalom in the world. Are the Talmidei Chachamim the only pacifists and peace-seekers in the world? Is everyone else a militant combatant all of his life? 
The secret lies in the character of the Talmidei Chachamim. He is engaged in rectifying his middot and is especially careful to distance himself from jealousy, hatred and malice. He is pleased with his lot; for the study of the Torah fills all of his being and all of his faculties. He is eternally happy and content so he has no need to pursue the fleeting pleasures which occupy most of the populace. He is tranquil within himself and therefore has no need to envy others. This was the essence of Pinchas’s reward -  brit shalom. Pinchas who acted to restore the honor of Hashem did so as a result of his consciousness and his sensitivity, and thus he reached completeness-shleimut. Therefore he merited shalom, a direct byproduct of shleimut. He also merited the "kehuna" for the kohen acts as the liaison between Bnei Yisrael and Hashem to establish shalom between them. This necessitates the kohen to be totally selfless; one who is concerned with himself cannot act as a true agent.

Hashem Yevarech Et Amo Bashalom

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Gad Bouskila